Ice rack for refrigerators



F. OPHULS ET AL 1,864,212

ICE RACK FOR REFRIGERATORS Filed March 6, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 21, 1932.

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J ne 21, 1932- F. OPHULS ET AL 1,864,212

ICE RACK FOR REFRIGERATORS Filed March 6, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /N VENTOZS' FEED OPHULS 65 as: A". NUSS 4 -r rays/s Q Patented June 21 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRED OPHULS, 015 NEW YORK, N. Y., AND GEORGE K. NUSS, OF DULUTI-I, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNORS T DULUTH WRIGERATOR CORPORATION, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA,

A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA ICE RACK FOE REFRIGERATORS Application filed March 6,

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an ice rack for refrigerators which will accelerate. the melting of ice through the rack to producethe largest, possible exposed ice surface with which air in therefrigerator will contact during its circulation.

Another object of the invention is topro vide an ice rack which will function to produce'greater melting of the ice at the rear of the rack than at the front so that the resultant depending ice fins will form an inclined surface against which the air contacts in its circulation.

A further object of the invention is to pro-. vide an ice rack of the character described which is combined with an inclined drip pan to form an inclined passage for the circulation of air in the refrigerator. 1

Other objects of the invention and its advantages will more fully be brought out as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated a practical embodiment of our invention but it is to be understood that the invention may be variously modified without departing from its scope as defined in the appended claims.

ice rack illustrated in Fig. 2-;

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partly ain side elevation and partly in section of a refrigerator including the ice rack of our invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of, an ice rack constructed in accordance with our invention;

Fig. 3 'isa view in front elevation of th Fig. 4 is a view in side ice rack; and I Y Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the formation of the ice fins.

Referring now to the drawings, the reference numeral 11 indicates a refrigerator elevation of our which, so far as its general features are con cerned, may be of any well-known and desired construction. The refrigerator includes an upper ice c0mpartment'12 and a lower food compartment 13, accessto the said compartments being had through suitable doors 14 and 15. L

The ice and food compartments are seprefrigerator when the 1931. Serial N0. 520,512.

arated by ledges l6 and 17 which-extend from side to side of the interior of the refrigerator along the front and rear walls thereof. These ledges are provided with inclined or arcuate surfaces 18-and 19 which function to deflect air circulating within the food compartment 13.

The reference numeral 20 indicates a drip pan which extends from side to side of the refrigerator and is suitably supported there- .in. This drip pan is, preferably, of hollow construction to provide in its interior a dead air space whichfunctions to insulate the upper and lower surfaces of the pan. As will.

be noted from Fig.1, the pan 20 is supported at an angle to the vertical and the purpose of so mounting the pan is to accelerate the "17. The ice rack is madeof suitable metal and comprises front and rear angle-shaped supporting members 23 and 24. which rest upon the ledges 16' and 17with-in the refrigerator; In addition to the supporting members, the rack comprises a plurality of cross bars 25 which are connected to the supporting members inspaced relation. As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the cross bars are of generally inverted U-shape and have the upper webs extended as at 26, the said extensions being secured to the supporting members 23 and 24 in any suitable manner. as for example, by soldering.

Each of the cross members 25 includes two depending sides 27 which as shownin Figs, 1 and 4 are of greater depth at one end'than at the other. Preferably, and as hereinafter more fully described, the deeper end of the,

side members is located at the rear of the therein. I

The ice rack 22-supports a block of ice 28 within the ice chamber 12. v As will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 5', the ice melts ice rack is in position clined ice surface with which the air will contact in its circulation. The ice surface thus formed is considerably greater than is 'thesurface of the ice exposed to contact with the air where the ordinaryfornl of ice rack is used, that is to' say, the form of rack in which the cross bars are of uniform depth.

Our invention-is predicated upon the discovery that the ice will melt more rapidly at the point of contact with the metal of the rack than whereit is in contact with air only. This is partly due to the pressure of the ice on therack as Well as to the differences in tem perature between the metal and the air.

Thus, by providing gradually inclined metal surface from-the front toward the rear of the rack, we-areenabled to accelerate the melting of ice toward the rear of the refrigerator. As a result, a plurality of depending ice fins are formed substantiallyas shown in Fig. 5, and these ice fins produce a considerably increased ice surface with which the air contacts. 1

It will be understood, thatin a refrigerator' such as we have herein disclosed, the circulation of air takes place almost entirely within the foodcompartment. The air rises upwardly along the front of the refrigerator and is deflected by the inclined surface 18 into the inclined passage between the drip pan 20 and thebottom of the ice and is further deflected by-the inclined surface 19 downwardly through the food compartment; Thus, a rapid circulation of air is set up, and in its travel the air contacts with the exposed lower surface of the ice which, by our invention, has been made as large as-possible, thereby great- 1y increasing the efficiency of the refrigerator.

We claim as our invention: s 1. An ice rack comprisingzai plurality of spaced bars adapted to support a block of ice, saidbars being of gradually increased depth toward one end for accelerating the melting of saidice at said end.

11 ice rack comprising supporting:

members, and apluralityof cross bars sea a cured to said members and of graduallyin creased depth from one end toward the other. 1

3. An ice rack for refrigerators comprising supporting members, and a plurality of cross bars securedto said members, and of gradually increased depth from the front. toward the rear of said ra k when positioned I in a refrigerator.

\ 4. An ice rack .comprising supporting members, and a plurality of crossbars seother of said rack, whereby ice finsof gradually increased depth are formed in the spaces between said cross bars.

5. An. ice rack for refrigerators compri's ing supporting members, and a plurality of inverted substantially U-shaped cross bars secured to said supporting members, said cross bars having sides of gradually in.-

creased depth from the front toward the rear of said rack when positioned in a refrigerator.

prising supporting members, and a plurality of cross bars secured to said supporting members, said cross bars having top surfaces lying in a' horizontal plane when said rack is positioned in a refrigerator and side walls terminating in edges inclined to the vertical from one end of sai bars toward the other, for the purpose specified.

6. An ice rack for refrigerators com- 7. Ina refrigerator, an ice compartment and a food compartment, a drip pan supported between said compartments, and an ice rack supported above said drip pan, said ice rack having a horizontal top surface for.

supporting a block of ice and an inclined bottom surface forming with said drip pan an inclined passage for the circulation of air in said food compartment.

, In Witness whereof, I havehereunto set my hand this2nd day ofMarch, 1931. y

' FRED. OPHULS.

Iii witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 1 3th day of January, 1931.

\ GEORGE K. NUSS.

cured tosaid supporting members in spaced relation, said cross bars being adapted to sup port a block of ice and having sides of gradually-increased depth from one end to the- 

